Elevated substance use in casual labour at international nightlife resorts: A case control study.

Recent studies have identified that young people consume alcohol and drugs at greater frequencies whilst on 1- and 2-week nightlife holidays and that such consumption poses risks to both their short- and long-term health. Here, we compare the substance use of young UK tourists working in bars and nightclubs in the international nightlife resort of Ibiza (Spain) with that of UK individuals visiting the island solely for vacation. Two groups of participants were recruited. Cases were young people working in Ibiza in summer 2002 and were recruited at the end of season (September) as an opportunistic sample by a researcher visiting bars and nightclubs. Significantly higher levels of tobacco and illegal drug use were reported amongst cases both in the UK and in Ibiza. Young people travelling to nightlife resorts are more likely to be recreational drug users than equivalently aged individuals in the general population. Furthermore, for ecstasy, casual workers consume more tablets per night when using and consider it safe to consume higher numbers of tablets in one night and one week than holidaymakers. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2009 APA, all rights reserved)